They Might Be Giants Posted Wed Sep 6 13:01:59 BST 2000 by TJ

OK, they've been mentioned enough, and they just about qualify as humour, so let's start a thread devoted to them.

I think they're fantastic. Discuss.


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Sam D on Wed Sep 6 13:15:33 BST 2000:

Not keen myself.
Although there was an amusing article in Q (I think) once, about innapropriate band-names.

The comment for They Might Be Giants was: "but aren't".

The Suicidal Tendencies one was also funny. I think.


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By TJ on Wed Sep 6 13:16:45 BST 2000:

Fact - TMBG once made a cameo in an episode of "On The Hour", no doubt as a result of CM's love of them.


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Sam D on Wed Sep 6 13:23:09 BST 2000:

I wasn't trying to put them down, or have a go at anyone who likes them. Just not keen on their music myself.
Good luck to them I say!


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Jon on Wed Sep 6 13:35:28 BST 2000:

Fave TMBG song: "Alienation's For The Rich"


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By TJ on Wed Sep 6 13:50:56 BST 2000:

Fave TMBG song - "They'll Need A Crane"

It _almost_ makes me cry.


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Nik on Wed Sep 6 14:19:06 BST 2000:

Has anyone got a US copy of Apollo 18, with Fingertips divided into 20 (or whatever) tracks and designed to be played on shuffle mode? They buggered it up for the UK release so it's all one track and the numbering on the back makes no sense. (Is it just me or is the last part - "I walk along darkened corridors" - supposed to sound like Morrissey?)

On the subject of TMBG and comedy, first time I saw them was in Redcar on the Flood tour - one of them (John, I think, could have been John though) commented that the audience was "like everything in Redcar - perfect!". Still makes me chuckle that. :)


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By TJ on Wed Sep 6 14:27:22 BST 2000:

I _think_ I've still got then on TOTP and on the Jonathan Ross show...


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Bent Halo on Wed Sep 6 14:39:23 BST 2000:

I love 'Meet James Ensor' from John Henry and stacks of their stuff. 'XTC vs Adam Ant' is good too. Yay, mentioned them again!


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By TJ on Wed Sep 6 14:40:26 BST 2000:

Bent Halo probably knew this already, but 'My Brown Guitar' from the new XTC album was originally written for some kind of project that TMBG were putting together...


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Bent Halo on Wed Sep 6 14:42:47 BST 2000:

Nope. Missed that story. I know it was a 1994 demo, because I have that bootleg from the time. Tell me more!


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Bent Halo on Wed Sep 6 14:43:35 BST 2000:

It was originally called 'Some Lovely'.


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By TJ on Wed Sep 6 14:52:50 BST 2000:

It was something like John Flansburgh wanted to put together an album that was basically composed of the band's mates doing really lo-fi recordings. Andy contributed 'My Brown Guitar', but TMBG told him to save it for the next XTC album.

I believe the original version was somewhat faster.


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Simon Harries on Wed Sep 6 20:04:11 BST 2000:

Thought this was about the George C. Scott film of 1973, about a man who thinks he's Sherlock Holmes.... oh well, never mind


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Paul on Wed Sep 6 22:26:11 BST 2000:

>I _think_ I've still got then on TOTP and on the Jonathan Ross show...


Rather sadly, I actually met them at TV Centre whilst bopping around to them back in March 1990 on TOTP. The camera crew I was talking to thought they were "crap". Now, I won't have it said ....


Subject: Re: They Might Be Giants [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Justin on Thu Sep 7 03:00:10 BST 2000:

Of course they're fantastic - sod the journalists, they're just bitter that they're not as clever. That said, I'm no completist, just "Lincoln" (1989) and "Flood" in my collection, although I keep meaning to go to Select A Disc to see if John Henry's in stock (love the End Of The Tour and No More Mr Nice Guy, if that's what it's called).

Whoever asked about Fingertips, I heard an interview the Giants did with Bob Mills on GLR in February 1999. At one point, the two Johns are asked to select a track from their back catalogue. And they select (for the first and probably only time on UK radio)....

Aaaah, GLR. It wasn't so bad.


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